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As my racing calendar turns from July to August, my eyes are drawn to the bold letters on it that span from August 6-9. The words “48TH KNOXVILLE NATIONALS” are highlighted, circled and marked with stars.
For sprint car fans, the anticipation is similar to the feeling NASCAR nuts get in February prior to Daytona Speedweeks, or what members of the open-wheel crowd experience once the gates to Indianapolis Motor Speedway swing open in May.
It has become almost a cliché to call this gathering “The Super Bowl of Sprint Car Racing” or refer to the venue as “The Midwest Mecca of Mud.”
This four-day affair is more than just a competition among 120 of the world’s finest 410 winged sprint car drivers. It is a happening that turns a quiet Iowa Corn Belt community of 7,500 people into a celebration of speed for the nearly 40,000 folks that occupy the Marion County Fairgrounds.
Tradition is only part of the charm. From the dirt racing surface that is the color of dark chocolate to cars racing in the turn two shadows of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, there is a sense of awe among fans and competitors alike. Even media members who park in the cattle barns are impressed by the hospitality and hassle-free access when compared to how upper echelon motorsports series operate.
Even before the engines are fired, your senses come alive in appreciation of the down-home, grass-roots nature of the event. It is the tempting aroma of the fairground food; the sight of people lined up at the caravan of souvenir trailers buying their Knoxville t-shirts; the feel of the grandstand reverberating on your backside while youngsters in the crowd bark out “50-50 tickets!”
But let’s not kid ourselves. We’re there for the racing – and the first two nights of action are among the best of the year. Half of the field competes on Wednesday while the other half runs on Thursday. What you get is the World of Outlaws, the All-Star
Drivers earn points every time they hit the track in competition, starting with those all-important time trials. The heat race lineups are inverted, meaning the fastest cars start at the rear. However, points are awarded for both finishing positions and number of cars passed. Each complete, fast-moving show concludes with an A-Main.
Additional points are available during Friday’s program, which includes the appropriately named “scramble” races, in which drivers can continue to earn points and thus improve on their starting positions for Saturday’s Nationals.
That final night becomes an unsanctioned, flat-out, elbows-up game of alphabet soup, starting with the E-Feature and culminating with the $150,000 to-win A-Feature live on SPEED.
The prize money alone is staggering. The Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series boasts the premiere payout in the business, with a typical show offering $10,000 to the winner and $700 to start.
Last place in the A-Feature at The Nationals brings $7,000 from a four-day purse that exceeds $900,000.
Not to spoil the ending for you, but expect Donny Schatz to power his way to a third consecutive Knoxville Nationals title with fellow Outlaws Joey Saldana, Jason Meyers and Steve Kinser giving chase. Danny Lasoski, Terry McCarl and a handful of other track veterans will make the Big Show, as well as Western Pennsylvania standout Ed Lynch Jr. and his Eastern PA counterparts Lance Dewease and Fred Rahmer.
Whatever the outcome, winged sprint car racing will put on the best possible show for ticket-buying spectators and a nationwide television audience, reminding all about the passion and excitement of short-track dirt racing while stoking the dreams of weekend warriors everywhere.
Jim Chiappelli is the News Director for SPEED.
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